


Babysitting a Bunny

by RiahWrites02



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Babysitting, Bonding, Childcare, Cute, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28728066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiahWrites02/pseuds/RiahWrites02
Summary: Shadow gets a surprise call that he has to babysit Cream the Rabbit, and not everything goes as planned.
Relationships: Rouge the Bat/Shadow the Hedgehog
Kudos: 4





	Babysitting a Bunny

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is my first sonic the hedgehog fanfic. I thought it would be a really cute idea. Kudos and comments always appreciated. I love y’all. Yeah it’s a little angsty in places too be warned.

“Hey, Shads! Are you doing anything today?”

“What do you want from me, a date?” Shadow retorts over the phone. If Sonic was calling this early in the morning, it must be important. It’s 9:30. Shadow likes to sleep until at least 11. 

Sonic laughs. “You think I’m that gullible? No, Vanilla called. I’m supposed to babysit Cream today, but something came up. Can you do it?”

“What? You’re asking me to watch a child? Just take her with you. You’re taking Tails, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but it’s somewhat dangerous, you know? I’m not gonna do that on a babysitting job.”  
“Well, you don’t have the right to drag Tails into these things either.”

“I’m not! He wants to help.”

“Get Cream to take that Chao of hers and beat up the bad guys. Actually, why not ask me? But later. I’m sleeping.”

“You’re not sleeping. If you picked up the phone, you’re obviously awake.”

Shadow grunts quietly, trying to pretend he isn’t there. It’s a tactic he likes to use to get out of unwanted situations.

“Vanilla will be there to drop of Cream in half an hour, all right?”  
“Are you sure about this, Sonic?” Shadow has never taken care of a child before. That’s not what he’s good at. Quite the opposite. He seems to scare every living thing a way. He has a knack for accidentally murdering Rouge’s house plants. His Chao alone answers him, only because of intimidation tactics he used on it. Not the most humane way, but it got the job done. 

“You have a better idea? Silver?” Sonic laughs. “I didn’t think so. Later.” He hangs up the phone before Shadow has time to respond. 

“That blue bastard.” He mutters under his breath. He has to hurry and get the house child-proof within half an hour. 

***  
Shadow turns off the TV he wasn’t really watching when he hears a loud knock on the door. He puts the remote down and gets up sleepily to answer it. Sure enough, it is Cream and Vanilla (five minutes late, he can’t help noting). Cream is sucking her thumb with one hand and holding onto her Chao, Cheese with the other. 

“Oh, hello,” says Vanilla, pleasantly. “Nice morning.”

Shadow squints at the light coming from the hallway.

“Sonic told me to come here. He had something come up. Thank you for doing it at such short notice. I should be back around four, five at the latest. All right, Cream?”

Cream nods agreeably, then goes back to hiding behind Cheese. 

“Well, come in, I guess.” Shadow closes the door behind Cream. “Well this is the living room.” He turns on the TV and switches to a kids’ channel. “Remember to take Cheese out, all right?”

Cream pouts and sits down on the carpet, grabbing Cheese. 

“Chao!”

“Oh Cheesy I’m sorry if I squeezed too hard!”

“Be careful,” warns Shadow. “You don’t want to hurt him.”

“Cream is very, very sorry.” She crosses her arms again. “Okay. Do you want to play with me?”

“Umm. I don’t do that.”

“What do you do, then. Grown up things? Do you drink out of funny glasses on Friday like Mommy? She doesn’t know I watch her. Sonic and Tails always play with me.”

Shadow sighs. He could use some strong liquor about now.

“And Mommy goes on dates with Mr. Vector!” Cream shouts it like it’s some amazing revelation. 

“That’s nice,” says Shadow, sitting back down on the couch. He goes to look at Facebook.   
“Yo, Check out my new Mixtape, Knuckleheads Anonymous, premiering October 8th with an exclusive Pumpkin Hill remix!” Shadow reads the post with disgust. Knuckles’ mixtapes were always trash, not that Shadow liked rap to begin with. 

Cream is still sitting somewhat agreeably on the floor with her Chao. Maybe if he could just keep her like this—

“Mr Shadooooww!” He sighs. Nope. “Please play with me?” 

Puppy dog eyes won’t work on me,” thinks Shadow, but nonetheless he sits on the floor next to Cream. She opens a big bag of legos. “Can you help me build one of my new sets? Pleeeeease?” Cream holds up the first of her new lego sets, “SPACE COLONY ARC.” 

“Smaller than I remember it,” mutters Shadow, trying not to think about it too hard. “Let’s do this one.” He picks up another one of Cream’s sets, “ANGEL ISLAND.”

“Okey,” she puts Cheese down. “Now, behavior yourself, Cheesy.”

After they build for awhile, Cream gets bored and pulls open a bag with action figures. “Hey look, it’s Sonic and Tails! And the President! It’s the President!” 

Shadow remembers an unpleasant time he was forced to take a picture for the President’s desk, with Sonic, no less. It was a horrible time. He had amnesia and didn’t know who he was, but sometimes he wonders if it was better that way, not to remember. He shakes himself.   
“You be the mech,” says Cream. “I can’t do it because I’m a girl.” She hands Shadow her toy mech. “Make it come and destroy us on Angel Island! Rabbit Pixie Stix won’t stand a chance!” Shadow can’t help cringe at her way of naming things as she clutches her toy rabbit close, before plopping her on Angel Island. “Aaaaaughhh! The mechs are coming, everybody, run!” She shouts. 

“Hey, Cream?”

“What?” She seems taken aback by Shadow’s abrupt interjection. 

“Who told you girls can’t play with mechs?”

“Oh, a boy at school.” She shrugs. “Bunnies, run!”  
“That’s stupid,” says Shadow, having to remember not to swear in front of a child. “Girls can play with whatever toys they want.”

“I don’t know, that’s just what he said,” says Cream. “This one girl, she said boys can’t wear pink though too. I feel like I saw Tails wearing pink once. I didn’t want to tell him.”

“Hey, don’t listen to them, alright? They don’t know what they’re talking about.” 

“Okay, whatever,” Cream crosses her arms again. I’m sleepy anyway.” Shadow wishes he could just go to sleep whenever he wants to avoid a conversation. Cream’s eyelids are already drooping. It’s around 1, probably nap time for Saturdays. Of course, Rouge is working. Probably for the best. Rouge is always working. Shadow sighs. He misses her. He moves Cream to the couch and turns the TV on to low volume. She’s curled up under Rouge’s couch blanket, sucking her thumb and holding her stuffed rabbit. Shadow sighs and looks around for Cheese. He notices the Chao hiding in the corner of the room. “Typical. Cheese let’s go.”

The Chao looks hesitantly at Shadow. Shadow leans over and picks it up. It squirms a bit in Shadow’s hands before accepting its fate. Shadow goes to the door and let’s the Chao into the yard. His own Chao, Dusk is sitting under his favorite shady spot by the shed. “Please don’t murder each other,” mutters Shadow. Dusk is shy and doesn’t get along with other Chao very well, besides Rouge’s Chao, Jewel. She is at the Chao daycare though. Rouge knows the lady who works there, and feels safer leaving her Chao there when she goes to work. Jewel has a tendency to wet herself in the house. Doesn’t help that Rouge pampers that thing like a baby. Shadow closes the door and goes back inside. He sits at the kitchen counter and pulls out his phone again, mindlessly scrolling Instagram. It isn’t just Rouge he misses…why is he taking a liking to Cream? Why isn’t Cream scared of him like everyone else? His thoughts continue to wander. Why does anyone ever like me? I’m horrible. Everyone knows it’s easier if I didn’t exist. Everyone fears me. What’s the point of fighting for a future where nobody even cares? Sometimes he wonders if humanity is even worth saving some of the things he has. Children don’t know any better, he thinks, she’s mature for her age but…it isn’t the same you know. Maybe she hadn’t seen the horror of the world. Daily missions and futile efforts—he had to stop working a couple months ago. He wants to go back, it’s just all of the trauma. 

“AND THUS CONCLUDES OUR WEATHER ROUNDUP—”

Shadow jumps out of his seat. Cream is awake, and channel surfing. She’d better not see something inappropriate on TV. Shadow takes the remote from her and puts on the animal channel. His phone starts ringing loudly playing “His World.” “Shit, that’s, Sonic’s ringtone,” Shadow cussed under his breath. Thankfully Cream is too engrossed in the tiger documentary to hear him. He picks it up. “Hello?”

“Hey there! Long time no see!”

“Knock it off, Sonic.” He wishes he could glare with his words. 

“I forgot to give Vanilla your number. Bad news. She’s hung up at work. She’ll be back late like 9 or 10 late.”

“What?” Shadow groans. 

“Yeah, I’m out for awhile too. Can you keep Cream out of trouble until then? Thanks, bye.”

Shadow sighs. Sonic has the habit of hanging up phone calls without waiting for a response. 

“Cream, your mom is going to be late, okay? She’ll be back around 9.” (It better not be later than that!”  
Cream pouts. “But I want to go home.” 

Me too, wherever that is, thinks Shadow. I don’t belong anywhere. His phone starts ringing again with the smooth jazzy tones of “Fly in the Freedom.” 

Oh, fuck, Rouge. She’ll be home soon. He picks it up quickly. “Hello?”

“Hi, Honey. Traffic’s real bad so I’ll be a little late, alright? You can start dinner if you want.”

Shadow isn’t hungry. “Okay. Is Omega with you?”

“Yeah, why?” She sounds irritated. “I have to go now; I’m driving. Bye, Shady.” The call is over. He wishes he could escape his thoughts. He opens Candy Crush. He must be really desperate. It’s not engrossing enough, so he puts his headphones on and watches some funny YouTube videos, while he waits for Rouge. He’s watching a joke ASMR video when Rouge calls again. He almost jumps out of his seat with how loud the song is. He answers immediately. 

“Shadow?” Rouge sounds desperately like she’s trying to stay calm. I busted a tire, and it’s starting to rain! I have the spare, but I left my toolbox at home! I haven’t eaten since noon…” Rouge gets shaky easily. “I’ll be okay, I’m just late. I’m going to have to get it towed since I’m a dumb bitch…” 

“No, wait!” Shadow hates to hear her upset like this. He grabs some tools and puts them in a bag. 

“Mr. Shadow! It’s raining! Cheese will get wet.” 

Shadow smirks. Dusk likes the rain. He opens the door and lets Cheese in. “I have to go,” he tells her. He knows it wrong. He can’t just leave a six-year-old child unattended. He has to take the Chao too. He scoops up Cream and Cheese in his jacket, grabbing the tools and his hover skates on his way out the door. “Dial ROUGE.” He can feel Cream getting heavy. She’s sleepy again. 

“Shadow? What is it?” Rouge picks up. “My signal is shit.” 

“Where are you? Can you send me your location?” 

“I’m broken down on the highway!” She sounds like she’s going to cry again. It hurts Shadow so much. “I’ll send it to you…”   
He takes off in the rain, keeping the GPS shouting instructions in his years. It’s one of Eggman’s inventions, a super-speed GPS. He hates Eggman, but at least he managed to make himself useful for once. Shadow jumps down to the highway where Rouge is. The rain is picking up now, and it’s chilly. He wishes he had brought something for Rouge. She’s the type to forget a jacket. Cream squirms under Shadow’s jacket. 

“Shadow!” Rouge shouts. “Over here!” “Oh, you’re a godsend.” Shadow has never heard anyone say that about him. Almost like he is important. 

“I have tools,” says Shadow. He hands them to her. “Do you need help? It’s okay.” He pats her on the back awkwardly. 

“I—This stupid damn car! I’m telling you, GUN would give me this piece of junk.” Shes being under-appreciated at work again. “My wing is still hurting from that mission. I can’t even fly right!” She confesses. She doesn’t like telling other people when something goes wrong. She can sort through it herself. Shadow feels even worse for that. “Thank you so much for these tools!” She pops the trunk and grabs her spare tire out. “Omega!”

Shadow wonders why Eggman didn’t build basic tools into his robots. 

Omega emerges from the car. “INTRUDER ALERT. INTRUDER ALERT!”

“What? It’s just Shadow, knock it off, Omega!”  
“UNIDENTIFIED LIFE-FORM DETECTED.”

Shadow panics. He can’t keep his side job a secret forever. “Omega it’s okay. I’m babysitting Cream. Sonic was busy today. Vanilla is late,” he quickly explains to Rouge. 

“Oh, why didn’t you tell me? Omega replace that tire for me, all right?” 

“AM I YOUR SLAVE, ROUGE THE BAT?”

“Oh God, what’s gotten into him now?” Nevertheless, Omega starts replacing the Shadow. 

“I can do it, really!” 

“Don’t get your hands dirty, Shadow. You have a child under there!”

“I’m hungry!” Cream pokes her head out of the jacket. Where are we?”

“It’s okay. You’re safe.” No matter if he is bad at taking care of people and Chao, he does have an overwhelming desire to protect them. He should stop trying, but he can’t help it. From all his failures, to the countless vital plants he killed on the Arc, to the Chao he lost, all leading to the biggest loss of all—

“Quite frankly, I feel faint,” says Rouge. 

“You go sit in the car. Omega and I have got this. I’ll drive. We’re going to get dinner after this.”  
“Oh great. I could use some strong wine.”

“I’m afraid that isn’t happening. Remember, we have a child on our hands!” He pulls Cream close to his chest, away from Rouge. 

“Chao! Chao!” 

“Cheese is hungry too!” Says Cream.

“ALMOST DONE.” Omega twists on the new tire.  
“You and Cheese will get dinner very soon,” says Rouge. “I’ll tell them to keep Jewel for later. She’s open until 11. Some of us have late shifts.” 

“Fair enough,” says Shadow. Rouge sits in the passenger seat. 

“ALL DONE. TIRE REPLACED.”

“That’s great, Omega.” Damn, babysitting is tiring work. Then again he is always tired…

He opens the back door and places Cream in the seat. “Omega, make sure she doesn’t fall out and die,” says Shadow to the robot, who takes up two seats of the car. 

“YES. SHE WILL BE SAFE. CREAM THE RABBIT. CAN YOU COUNT TO 5 MILLION?” 

“I can try.” Cream is sassy in her tone. 

“Well that will keep them busy,” says Rouge. 

“Do you still have that stupid GUN party tomorrow?”

“It’s not a party, Shadow, and yes, I do. Haven’t seen some of these people in years. Maybe they’ll appreciate me.” She sighs. 

“I appreciate you. If that’s worth anything. It isn’t.” Shadow dismisses what he says. 

“Shadow, don’t talk like that. Of course it’s worth something.”

“Nothing I do is right. I ruin everything. I can’t work, but I can’t stay with my thoughts. I can’t do anything. I’m so trapped in my head. I hate it here. I—I just want to disappear and I don’t want anyone to miss me. Shadow the Hedgehog, botched experiment, and a killer of Chaos, plants, and little girls.”

“You know it’s not your fault what happened,” says Rouge firmly. 

“ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-THREE—”

“If I wasn’t created, none of this would have been happened.”  
“You didn’t ask to be created. It’s not your fault. And besides, you have to make the best of what you have. You’re here now, so you might as well put it to use. And try to enjoy yourself time to time. It would be better if you would loosen up.”

He loves Rouge, he really does, but this isn’t a matter of loosening up. He keeps focused on the road and doesn’t reply. 

“Shadow, I’m sorry—”

“TWO-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE—”

Shadow pulls into the parking lot of the diner. “We’re here, Omega. You can can stop counting now.”

“I didn’t mean to say the wrong thing or make you feel worse,” says Rouge, quietly. “I just don’t really know how to help, it hurts…it hurts to see you close yourself off like this, and when you open up like this, I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t torture yourself over it.”

They enter the diner. “Four,” says Rouge. “One kid’s menu, please.”

“But Cheese needs a chair!” Whines Cream. 

“Do you guys allow Chao in here?” Shadow asks the hostess. 

“Sure, I’ll get him a high-chair. You guys pay for any damage caused by the Chao. It better be toilet trained.”  
“Cheese is a very good Chao.” Cream crosses her arms defiantly again. Shadow can’t help but appreciate her defiance and strong will for her age. No one can tell her what to do or who to be. He won’t let stupid kids at school turn her into a kid who is scared to be herself. He wants to punch that boy. Probably not the best response. 

***  
“So how many Chao do you have at home?” Asks Rouge. Rouge and Cream are getting on quite well, much to Shadow’s relief. It makes him feel a bit calmer. 

“I have fourteen! Cheese, Chocola, Lemonade, Milk, Strawberry, Ice, Truffle, Cookie, Scone, Mint, Cotton, Papaya, Banana, and Apple!” 

“That’s a lot of Chao. I just have one. Her name is Jewel. She’s at the daycare.” Says Rouge. And Shadow has Dusk.

“Why didn’t you introduce us,” Cream pouts. “What about next time?” 

Somehow the thought of there being a next time doesn’t terrify Shadow anymore, other than the fear of something going horribly wrong. He shouldn’t get too attached. But he can’t help but smile to see the happy child and her Chao eating too much whipped cream for their own good. 

***  
“Hey Shads!” Sonic gives Shadow his signature flashy smile and thumbs up. Well, he’s nice to everyone. He doesn’t even like me, thinks Shadow. “We just got back!” Vanilla will be here in a few minutes.” 

Tails has what looks like a large bump on his head. “And we beat up the bad guys! I have him a tail whip! It was so cool!”

“Does your heard hurt, Tails?” Rouge comes to the door now. 

“Yeah, but it was cool!”

“If that’s what you say, Tails. I feel bad for being careless. I shouldn’t have run off like that.”

“It’s okay! I beat them all by myself and it was cool! I was only scared for like fifteen seconds!”  
Sonic pats Tails on the head. 

“Hey, I guess we can all get a little careless sometimes,” says Shadow. It’s just that I can’t keep things alive.” He laughs, but it sounds pained. 

“Hey, Shads. You lasted a day as a babysitter, think about it!” Sonic grins again. “You can do anything, remember!”

“It’s not as simple as having a positive attitude,” he says. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Geez, I’m sorry.” Sonic actually sounds like he cares for once. Damn. Just then, another car pulls up and Vanilla gets out. “Hello everyone!”

“Cream is sleeping on the couch. All her stuff is packed. I’m Rouge by the way.” She holds out her hand for a shake. 

“I’ve heard all about you!” Says Vanilla. “Thanks for helping with Cream!”

“I HAVE HER HERE.”

Omega shows up behind a very sleepy Cream and apathetic-looking Cheese.

“My goodness!” Says Vanilla.that’s a big robot!”

“I CAN HEAR YOU, WOMAN,” Omega points his arm cannon threateningly. 

“I’m terribly sorry!” Vanilla says. 

“I ONLY JEST. I DON’T KILL INNOCENT RABBITS.”

“Haha! OMEGA IS SO COOL!” 

“No need to shout, Cream. It’s past your bedtime. We best be going. Thank you so much Shadow. It sounds like she enjoyed it. Can I be calling you again?”

“Yeah, about that…I’ll give you his number, all right?” Says Sonic. “See ya guys.” 

Cream smiles sleepily over Vanilla’s shoulder, mounting “so cool.”

“We beat be going too,” says Sonic. “But hey, text me if you need anything, Shads. I have lots of food.”

Sonic could probably think food was the answer to the deadliest or life’s problems, but Shadow appreciates the gesture regardless. 

“I’ll see you around. Faker.”

Sonic laughs. It’s an old joke between them. “Your have to race me for it!”

“Soooonic! I wanna go home!” Tails whines. 

“Okay, Tails, we’re going!”

It feels like Sonic is off before he can finish a sentence. 

Rouge dims the lights in the living room. 

“IT’S TIME FOR BED. SLEEP MODE INITIATE.” Omega says, going to his standby position. 

“Damn, I wish I could sleep on demand,” Shadow says softly. “It’s just all these thoughts in my head.”

“He does this every night.” Rouge says. “Ow!”

“What is it?” 

“Nothing.”

“Is your wing still bothering you, Rouge?”

She doesn’t answer, but her flinching is enough. 

“Hey, come here.” Shadow saves Rouge a spot on the couch. He may not be good at taking care of things. But he can try.


End file.
